Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Chicken with Olives, Almonds & Oregano

This is another dish from "Where the heart is" by Karen Martini like many of her recipes there's a lot of flavours intermingling resulting in something a bit more complex than might be found in a typical Donna Hay recipe. This really is a complete meal in a pot, potatoes and onions line the base and soak up all those wonderful juices from the chicken. The chicken itself has two marinades, one based on red chillies, mustard and lemon and the other on fresh herbs, olives and green chillies. Almonds provide a textural element in their sweet crunch. The final result has a definite kick but deliciously moorish to boot.

Mix the almonds, olives, parsley, oregano and green chilli with a drizzle of oil in a large bowl. Grind over with pepper, stir until combined then set aside.

Into a non-reactive bowl add the red chilli, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, salt & pepper - stir well before adding the chicken pieces. Toss around to coat, then leave for 10 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken, keeping the heat high so not to stew the pieces. Cook until the chicken has been browned then remove from heat. Add the chicken to the almond mixture.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and cover the base with the potatoes and onions. Place the chicken pieces on top of this, sprinkling over an leftover almond mix.

Add the wine and water to the mustard marinade, mix well before pouring this over the chicken.

Cover the dish with foil before placing in a preheated 200°C/390°F oven - cook for 20 minutes before removing foil. Bake for at least another 15 minutes or until the chicken is golden and cooked through - turn down the heat if you think it's browning too quickly.

Serve immediately with some crusty bread so you can enjoy those lovely pan juices. There's enough here for two very generous serves - or serve with a simple green salad and have the leftovers for a most appetising lunch.

Thanks Kalyn - this is a wonderfully flavoured dish, sweet potatoes would work quite well and if you felt like something a bit green, baby spinach tossed in for the last few minutes of cooking would be nice too

Thanks Ivonne - it's taste is equal to it's appearance

Hi Neil - it's funny, Paalo was milling around the kitchen while this was cooked wondering what was source of the delightful scents wafting upstairs. Unfortunately, there's none left to re-heat!

Hi Jen - this really is a type of recipe that will become a firm favourite.